Daddy Dearest
by hotchner077
Summary: When Matthew is left with a daughter after Lavinia dies in childbirth, he struggles in his new role as a father. With the help of the Crawley family he life begins to get back to normal. Maybe he will even find romance along the way. Eventual Matthew/Mary. Possible spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is a Downton Abbey fanfic, different from my usual Criminal Minds fics. I had this chapter written before Sybil's death in Season 3 but decided against putting it up straight after her death. This is set after Season 2, Lavinia has survived the Spanish Flu, Matthew and Mary never shared their little dance and kiss in the hall and Richard Carlisle doesn't exist in my fanfic simply because I don't like him. The Pamuk incident happened but Matthew doesn't know about it as of yet. This will eventually be a Matthew/Mary fic so bear with me. **

**Warning: Character death in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Downton Abbey.**

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Matthew paced over and back across the room and Isobel was sure that he was going to wear the rug down into threads if he didn't stop.

"Matthew dear, you need to calm down." Matthew's head snapped up to stare at her.

"Mother, my wife has just gone into labour and you're telling me to calm down?" he shot back at her harshly. Isobel was not deterred and simply smiled back at him.

"Remember Matthew I was in her position, I know what's Lavinia is going through and she will be fine," Isobel assured him. "And I also know that you pacing here isn't doing her any good either. Perhaps you should take a walk?"

Matthew stopped his pacing to look at his mother and to take in what she had said. He supposed that she was right; she knew more about child birth than he did. But that didn't make him worry about her any less. He turned his head towards the room down the hall where his wife was currently in accompanied by Doctor Clarkson. There was surprising very little noise coming from the room so Matthew took this as a good sign.

He turned back to his mother and nodded once. "I think I will go for a walk and clear my head. You'll let me know of any progress here?" Isobel nodded.

"Of course dear, I will let know as soon as I hear anything." Matthew nodded gratefully and taking one last look down the hall he proceeded to the door and let himself out.

He sighed as the cool autumn air hit him when he stepped outside his mother's house. It had been over a year since he was last here, when they married Lavinia and he decided to live in Manchester where Matthew had worked as a lawyer. He didn't mind moving away from Downton, in fact he was grateful. The thought of uncomfortable dinners with the family made him physically shiver.

It's not that Matthew didn't like the Earl of Downton and his family, he did and he was very grateful to them all. He just couldn't sit with his wife at the same table as...her.

It had taken him awhile to get over Mary's rejection. He was certain that she would accept him when he proposed, but she didn't love him enough to marry him as a middle class lawyer. He stuck his hands in his pockets and began to briskly walk out the gate. This was not the time to dwell on the past, not when his beautiful, wonderful wife was having their baby.

He smiled as he thought back to the day Lavinia broke the news to him. It was a cold November's morning and he was in the dining room eating his breakfast...

_Matthew turned the page of his newspaper and took another gulp of his tea. He looked up when he heard his wife enter the room. Lavinia paused in the doorway, hesitating slightly before coming in and sitting down at the table beside her husband. Matthew frowned at her unusual behaviour._

'_Is everything alright sweetheart?" he asked her, running his hand gently up her arm. "The doctor said you were fine when you went yesterday, right?" Lavinia nodded once, unable to look at her husband. Matthew noticed her odd behaviour, and used his finger to pull her chin to look her in the eye. _

"_Is there something you're not telling me, dear?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He started to worry when Lavinia's eyes started to glisten with tears. She quickly sniffled and wiped her eyes with the pad of her thumbs. She took a deep breath before looking her husband straight in the eye. _

"_Matthew, there's something you need to know." Matthew kept his gaze on her, willing her to continue. When she realised that he wasn't going to say anything, Lavinia gave a little cough and continued. "When I told you that the doctor said I was fine, I was being exactly truthful," she paused. "Matthew I'm...We're...I'm pregnant." _

_Her hands instantly went to cover her eyes so Matthew couldn't see the tears that were rapidly falling down her cheeks. Matthew sat in shock, letting Lavinia's words sink in. _Pregnant. A baby. _He was going to be a father! He gently removed Lavinia's hands from her face and wiped away all her tears._

"_My dear, this is great news. We're having a baby!" He tenderly stroked her cheek with his thumb._

"_You're happy about this, truly?" Lavinia's voice was shaking slightly due to the tears. Matthew nodded quickly, reassuring her._

"_Of course I am sweetheart. I'm going to be a father, what greater gift could you possibly give me?" _

"_So you don't think it's too early to be starting a family?" his wife asked, anxious to hear the words that would settle her. _

"_What better time than the present, my dear"_

He remembered how nervous Lavinia was that day. He couldn't really understand that, of course he was going to be supportive. It took him awhile to assure her that he was thrilled at the idea of them as parents, tougher sometimes due to her raging hormones.

He found that he had walked a fair distance as Downton Abbey came into view. He paused to look up at the majestic house that would, perhaps, one day be his. He smiled to himself as he imagined living there with his loving wife and their beautiful children, a little boy and a girl. He shook his head and laughed, he was getting ahead of himself. "Let's see how we get on with one child before I even start thinking about another," he thought.

Taking on last look at the big house, Matthew turned to start the return journey home to his mother's house. As he came closer, he thought he could see a figure coming towards him. He quickened his pace to find that it was his mother coming towards him in a hurry. He broke into a run and reached her nearly out of breath.

"Oh Matthew, you must come quickly. It's Lavinia."

* * *

Matthew ran as fast as he could, with his mother close behind. All types of possibilities quickly ran through his head. Had something went wrong during the birth? Was Lavinia harmed? Was the baby aright? He tried to think positively but the way his mother had come running to him could only mean that something bad had happened.

When they reached the house, Matthew flung open the door and ran into the house towards Lavinia's room. He didn't even stop to knock the door, he let himself in. What he saw in the room would haunt him for the rest of his life. His beautiful wife was lying on the bed in a fit of seizures. Doctor Clarkson was trying to keep her awake but Matthew could see her eyes closing. He stood there at the door, shocked and helpless. His mother squeezed past him and moved to the bed to assist Doctor Clarkson.

Matthew soon snapped out of his sudden shocked and he too moved to his wife's bedside. He blindly reached for her hand, grasping it tightly.

"Lavinia. Lavinia darling, can you hear me?" he called desperately. "It's Matthew. You have to stay here with me Lavinia, you can't leave me. You're going to be ok." He said this more to reassure himself than her.

Her grip on his hand began to slacken and Matthew could feel a lump form in his throat. He could see the light fade from her eyes and her chest stopped rising.

"No," he managed to croak out. "Lavinia! Don't leave me please!" He pleaded with her even though she could no longer hear him. He pulled her cold hand up to his mouth and planted kisses on and he could not hold in the flow of tears.

"Lavinia...I love you,"

He felt the warmth of his mother's hand on his shoulder, caressing it gently.

"I am so, so sorry Matthew," he could hear from his mother's voice that she was trying to hold back the tears. He turned slightly to look up at her, not releasing Lavinia's hand. Isobel moved her hand to stroke her son's tear stained cheek. She knew what it was like to experience child birth but she also knew what it was like to lose your spouse.

Doctor Clarkson watched the exchange between mother and son before coughing to get their attention. When they both turned to look at him, he sighed before beginning.

"I am very sorry for your loss Mr. Crawley but I'm afraid there was nothing I could do to save your wife. She suffered from eclampsia and there was no time to move her to the hospital or to get anymore medical health. She died from the seizures. You have my condolences." Doctor Clarkson bowed his head when he finished his speech.

Matthew nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his free hand. "And...and what about the baby?" he managed to croak out. A nurse appeared from the other side of the room which both Matthew and his mother failed to notice. In her arms, she held and little bundle wrapped in a light pink blanket.

"The baby is perfectly fine," the doctor reassured Matthew. "The nurse did a quick check-up and she is just fine. Congratulations on your daughter."

Matthew slowly released his wife's cold hand and reached out to hold his daughter. The nurse slowly placed the bundle in his outstretched arms. Matthew held the baby close to his chest, rocking her gently.

"Hello little one," he sniffed slightly and found himself smiling at the beautiful little girl. "I'm your daddy." He looked back at Isobel who was gazing at her granddaughter over his shoulder. He then looked at his poor wife, lying lifeless on the bed. He gulped before turning back to his daughter.

"Your mommy is..." he searched for the right words.

"Your mommy is with the angels now, little one," Isobel cut over him. "She'll be watching over you always and she loves you so very much."

Matthew smiled slightly back at his mother in thanks. It was hard for him, his wife had just died and left him with a newborn baby girl. His emotions were all around the place, he didn't know how he was supposed to feel. Sorrow for the death of his wife? Joy for the birth of his daughter?

Doctor Clarkson spoke again. "I'll leave you now to make arrangements. If there's anything you need, anything at all don't hesitate to contact me."

Matthew felt his mother's hand leave his shoulder and she lead the doctor outside, leaving him alone. Looking down at his beautiful little daughter's face he broke down in tears. What was he going to do?

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**A/N: I know it's a short chapter to begin with but they should get longer, hopefully. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can. I'd love to know what you think about my first Downton Abbey fic so please leave me a review. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I would just like to point out that this is most definitely a Matthew/Mary fanfic. I do not ship Matthew/Lavinia and to be perfectly honest, I never liked Lavinia. In my eyes, Matthew always belonged to Mary and Lavinia took him away from her. The only reason Lavinia is married to Matthew in this fic is because I couldn't kill Mary because I love her too much. Matthew still has to get over his wife's death, but with Mary by his side he will forget about Lavinia quite quickly, I promise.**

**Also, this is really a once off thing, updating so quickly. Because it's Christmas and I have lots of time on my hand, I managed two chapters in two days. In the future chapters will be uploaded much slower, so please just bear with me. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and followed my story, it is very much appreciated. **

**So now, chapter two. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Downton Abbey or the characters.**

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Mary watched as Matthew rocked his daughter to sleep on the far chair in the Downton Abbey living room. It was a hard day for him today, burying his young wife. The last time Mary saw Matthew was on his wedding day over a year ago. She couldn't believe what it when her mother told her of Lavinia's death. They had only learnt that she was pregnant about a month ago and that she would have the baby at Downton.

Mary slowly made her way over to him, quietly so as not to wake the baby. Matthew turned his head slightly when he felt Mary sit down beside him. Mary smiled at him and Matthew couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

"How is the little lady?" Mary whispered. Matthew turned so Mary could get a better view of his daughter. The beautiful little baby girl looked up at Mary, her eyes wide in awe and her tiny fist wedged in her mouth.

"I've been trying to get her to sleep," Matthew told her, stoking the baby's cheek "but she's too interested in all the people." He looked up at the room at this, all the people most of whom he didn't even know. The church had been full that day. He would have preferred a small intimate ceremony but the last few days had been a blur so he was grateful that Lord Grantham had organised everything. He was not in a fit state to organise a funeral. His newborn daughter held all of his attention the past few days and he was barely able to do anything else.

Mary laughed softly at this, still starting at the newborn. "She was so good at the...funeral." She saw Matthew stiffen at this, talking about Lavinia's death was still an open wound. She knew she could never really understand what he was currently going through and bringing up the matter wasn't helping anyone. She decided to brighten the moment. "So, you've never told us this beautiful little girl's name."

Matthew was relieved at the change of subject. He did not want to discuss his deceased wife, especially not with Mary. The whole thing was still too raw in his mind. He lifted his daughter up slightly so she could look straight at Mary.

"Lady Mary Crawley, meet Emily Olivia Crawley. Emily, this is Mary." He dropped a kiss on Emily's little forehead.

Mary smiled at the interaction between father and daughter. "Very pleased to meet you Emily Olivia Crawley," Mary said. "I hope we will be great friends." She slowly moved forward, looking to Matthew for permission, and ran her finger gently down Emily's cheek. The baby was very fascinated by this and reached out to grab the finger in her tiny fist.

Matthew watched as Mary laughed and cooed with his daughter and mentally rolled his eyes. Of course his daughter would be infatuated with Mary like he was when he first met her. His daughter was wide awake now and was no intently staring at Mary dangly earrings.

Just for a moment, Matthew wondered what this would be like if everything was different. What if Mary had accepted his proposal? What if it was Mary who was pregnant with his child? What if Emily was Mary's daughter? He quickly snapped out of this thought. What the hell was he thinking? He had just buried his wife and he was already fantasising about another woman.

Mary thought that Emily was the cutest child she had ever met. Emily was dressed in a little navy dress, for the funeral, and she had a little bonnet on her head. Mary couldn't believe the size of her tiny little hands, no bigger than one of her fingers. Mary was truly in awe of this perfect little human being.

And to be honest, she hadn't met very many children. She had always viewed children as being bold, dirty, ill mannered and cheeky. But she was really taken by Emily. She felt herself smiling at every little thing Emily did. For the first time, she really thought about what it would be like to have a family. A loving husband, a darling baby girl, a home to call her own. Right now, she strangely felt jealous of Matthew. Yes, he had tragically just lost his wife but he had this beautiful little miracle to call his. Mary had nobody. She could have had this, she could have had everything. For the first time in a long time, she regretted refusing Matthew's offer of marriage.

"Well Matthew," Mary sat back away from Emily, "you have a very beautiful and charming daughter." She smiled at him, but it wasn't as genuine as previously.

"Thank you Mary, I know I am lucky to have her," Matthew couldn't bring himself to look at Mary so he tucked Emily back into her blanket and rocked her against his chest.

Mary took this as her cue to leave so she stood up and moved back to her family not stopping to look back at Matthew and his daughter. She had no right to be jealous. She should feel sympathy or even pity, not jealousy. She sneaked a quick glance back to se Matthew totally engrossed with his daughter. This sight made Mary smile, he was going to be a wonderful father.

"So, where will you get a nanny to look after Emily?" The Dowager Countess asked Matthew as she sat down in her chair. All the strangers that Matthew was not acquainted with had left and all that were left were the Crawley family. "I'm sure I could recommend some to you, if I must."

"Matthew won't be needing a nanny to mind Emily," Isobel told her as she sat down beside her son and rested a hand on his arm. "He has me and he is perfectly capable of taking care of his own daughter."

The Dowager Countess turned to look at Cora who smiled back at her and turned her head slightly towards Matthew. Violet could see that Matthew was totally dedicated to his daughter, he hadn't moved from that position all evening.

"You and Emily are welcome to stay here at Downton for as long as you need to get back on your feet," Lord Grantham offered. "The girls and the maids will be happy to help you with Emily." Mary knew that her father turned to look at her during his sentence but she ignored it and stared straight ahead.

Matthew lifted his head to look up, his eyes were obviously stained with tears. "Thank you Robert, I'm very grateful for everything you have done for me." Matthew turned to his mother. "Emily is asleep so I think I better bring her home and put her to bed." Isobel nodded and Matthew rose to leave.

"I'll come with you Matthew," Isobel said as she too stood up. "It's been a long day for all of us. Thank you for everything." They said their goodbyes to the family and left the room.

"Poor fellow," Lord Grantham sighed. "He didn't deserve all this." He shook his head and sat down beside his wife, taking her hand in his grateful that she is still her with him. Mary watched her parents and again she felt the sadness that she didn't have someone to call her own.

Her sister Edith noticed her longing glance. "If you had married Matthew when you had the chance, maybe all this might not have happened."

Everyone in the room quickly turned in astonishment to stare at Edith.

"Edith, you can't say things like that. Matthew has just lost his wife, don't be so insensitive." Sybil was astonished that her sister would bring up _that_ of all this at a time like this.

Mary was still staring in shock at Edith. When she heard of Lavinia's death she did think about how things could have been different. But to hear someone else say it aloud made her feel very guilty.

"Mary, this is not your fault," her mother assured her. "You can't feel guilty about this."

Mary nodded and hastily stood up. "Um...I think I'm going to go to bed now, I feel a headache coming on." She quickly swept from the room before anyone could stop her.

* * *

Isobel paused outside the spare room to listen to her son soothe his daughter to sleep.

"It's time to sleep Emily," Matthew cooed at the bundle in his arms. "Will you go to sleep for daddy? Do you want your teddy?" Isobel could see Matthew wave a small teddy bear in front of Emily's face and she smiled when she heard her gurgle happily.

Matthew eased Emily into her cot and tucked her blanket around her, dropping the teddy beside her. He bent over to place a kiss on her forehead and waited until she was fast asleep before turning to leave. He noticed Isobel at the door and moved to hug her.

Isobel hugged her son tightly, stroking his hair soothingly. "You'll be just fine, my boy," she said softly. "You are going to be an amazing father, Lavinia will be so proud."

Matthew sniffed and let his tears flow freely down his face, holding his mother closer.

"I'll try my best," he whispered. "I already love my little girl more than anything and I will do everything I can to be the best father possible."

Isobel nodded at this and pulled back to look him in the face. "I am here to help you with anything you may need, anything at all. I now have my first grandchild which I plan to spoil with toys and gifts." She smiled when Matthew's features brightened at this thought.

"You're not alone Matthew," she assured him "You have me and together we'll work through this." With one last look at her sleeping grandchild, she reached for Matthew's arm.

"I think we both deserve a cup of tea."

Back at Downton, Mary lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was grateful that nobody had come after her and Anna avoided the subject when she helped Mary prepare for bed.

As she lay awake, Edith's words echoed in her head.

"_If you had married Matthew when you had the chance, maybe all this might not have happened." _

She had to admit that Edith was right. If she had married Matthew he would be happier now. He would have a wife and maybe even a child. Mary sighed. She knew there was no point feeling guilty over something she had no control over.

She slowly slid out of her bed and knelt on the ground beside it. She was never big into praying, only saying her prayers because she was made as a child. Now she felt it was appropriate.

She propped herself up against her bed and blessed herself before joining her hands.

"Lavinia." Mary paused, unsure of how to continue. "I'm not...used to something like this. I don't do it often and I really don't plan to do it again anytime soon. But I just wanted to tell you that I will try my best to help Matthew and Emily in any way I can. I know that w he will tell her all about you, Emily will know who her mother is...was." Mary coughed awkwardly at this. "Well, that's really all I wanted to say. I'm very sorry that you never got to meet your daughter, Lavinia. Rest in peace."

Mary blessed herself and pulled herself back into her bed again. Before she fell asleep, she decided she was going to keep this promise to Lavinia and help Matthew with Emily, if anything to ease her guilt. She just hoped they could move on from the past and start fresh.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter two, drop me a review and leave me your thoughts. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, here you go chapter three. Much more focused on Mary and Matthew. Also, there is no mention of you-know-who. Thanks again for reading.**

**In reply to **_**LoverandaFighter **_**this is set post-war. It follows the series up to the 2011 Christmas Special, Lavinia survives the Spanish Flu and as I said before, Richard Carlisle does not exist in my story. So Matthew will most definitely not be returning back to the front.**

* * *

Mary lay back on her bed, thoroughly worn out and it had only been two hours. Emily was finally asleep in the cradle that Anna managed to root out. Mary now realised how hard it was to get a baby to sleep. Emily had kicked her legs for about 15 minutes when Mary had first put her down in her cradle and wouldn't stop even when Mary began begging and pleading with her.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere she broke in a screaming fit of tears. In desperation Mary rang her bell and Anna quickly appeared at her door. She made her way to the cradle in the corner of Mary's bedroom and peered down at the screeching baby. Mary watched in awe as Anna picked up Emily and rocked her gently, walking towards Mary.

For a moment Mary thought that Anna was going to hand the baby over to her, but Anna simply smiled and explained that she needed to change Emily. Mary nodded and Anna carried Emily out of the room, shutting the door quietly leaving Mary alone.

She sat on her bed, relishing the silence. It seemed like only a few moments till Anna reappeared with a much calmer Emily. She slowly sat down beside Mary on the bed and slide Emily gently into Mary's outstretched arms.

May smiled down at the beautiful girl who gurgled happily, taking in all her new surroundings. Mary offered her her index finger and Emily grabbed onto it as tightly as her tiny hand could.

"I think she likes you, Lady Mary," Anna commented, noticing how Emily rarely took her eyes off Mary.

"Do you really think so?" Mary asked, not moving her gaze from Emily.

Anna nodded even though she knew Mary couldn't see her. "And Mr Crawley obviously thinks so too. Otherwise he wouldn't have put her in your care."

Mary had to laugh at this, causing Emily to kick her tiny legs. "When I offered to watch her while he went to Manchester, he looked at me like I had sprouted two extra heads."

It was true. That morning Matthew and Emily had come up to the house. Matthew had explained that he needed to go up Manchester to do something; Mary hadn't really listened to that part. His mother was needed down at the hospital so he needed someone to watch Emily while he was away, only a couple of hours.

Matthew wasn't the only who was shocked when Lady Mary offered to watch his daughter. She couldn't explain her granny's facial expression, Edith looked like she was going to fall off her chair trying to contain her laughter and her parents were probably wondering who had replaced their daughter. Sybil was the only exception, she smiled brightly at her sister.

Everyone was really in too much shock to offer their help so Matthew handed over his precious bundle to Mary and mumbled his thanks before heading out of the room.

And strangely, Mary hadn't regretted her decision. She was enjoying Emily's company.

"I think you're doing a great job, milady," Anna told her "You will be a wonderful mother one day."

This time, Mary tore her eyes from the baby on her lap to look at Anna who was smiling at her. Mary bowed her head and smiled to herself. Perhaps Anna was right.

* * *

Matthew was surprised to hear that his daughter was still in Mary's care when he returned to Downton. He met Carson at the door who told him that his daughter was in Mary's room. He had to admit he was very shocked when Mary offered to watch Emily for the day. The Lady Mary Crawley he knew, or thought he knew, would never have offered to watch something for anyone let alone a child. Then again, the war had changed all of them perhaps for the better. He hadn't seen Mary in over a year so he was in no position to judge.

He made his way up the flights of stairs towards Mary's room. He knew it was probably improper to be seen going into a lady's room but he needed to see his daughter and he didn't care who saw him. He softly knocked on the door in case Emily was sleeping.

He heard no reply from inside the room, but the door slowly opened to reveal Mary who had her finger against her lips, urging for him to be silent. She ushered Matthew into the room and pointed to the cradle in the far corner.

"I just got her to sleep so please don't wake her," she whispered and Matthew nodded in reply.

Mary sat down on her bed, her back to the sleeping baby. Matthew stood awkwardly by the door looking at her. Mary rolled her eyes; they were past this at this stage. She gently patted the bed beside her, urging him to sit down beside her.

Matthew slowly walked towards her bed, as if she was some vicious dog that might attack him if he wasn't careful. He sank down onto the soft bed, making sure there was a good space between him and Mary. He turned to look at Mary and smiled weakly.

"I hope she wasn't too much trouble," Matthew inquired, making sure to keep his voice low.

Mary smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, she was just a perfect little lady. Though I did need to get Anna's help, I'm still and amateur at this."

Matthew allowed himself to laugh at this and then he realised that she was insinuating that she wanted to get better at...this. Spending time with his daughter.

He turned his head slightly to look closer at her. She seemed happier than he had even seen her. It didn't occur to him that she had wanted to watch his daughter because she enjoyed Emily's company.

"Well if I ever need a babysitter again, I know who to call." Matthew smiled at her, the first genuine smile in weeks. Mary felt her breath catch that his beautiful smile was directed at her.

"Yes," she breathed "it's no problem." Her hand seemed to act on its own accord when she reached out to rest her hand on his arm. They held eye contact for a long moment and Mary could feel the heavy tension in the room. When Matthew looked like he was about to say something, the silence was broken by Emily's cries. Matthew slipped off the bed and went over to calm his daughter leaving Mary to release the breath she had been holding.

In that few short moments she had realised something that shocked her. She was still in love with Matthew and perhaps, she had never stopped loving him.

* * *

Matthew woke up the next morning to the bright autumn sun streaming in his bedroom window. He glanced over at the cradle beside his bed. It had become a habit, checking Emily as soon as he opened his eyes every morning.

Emily was awake and for some strange reason not screaming in his ear. She was gazing up at the stars hanging over her cradle, a present from granny Isobel. Matthew eased himself out of bed and padded over to the cradle.

"Morning little lady," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to Emily's forehead. "And thank you for not waking me up too early this morning."

The baby did not even acknowledge her father's words, all her attention still on her new toy. Matthew reached down to pluck her from her cradle and held her close to his chest. She was only a few weeks old but he noticed that she was getting bigger. Yes, she was still tiny but his little girl was growing.

"I think it's breakfast time, Emily. Are you hungry?" Matthew lightly tickled Emily's belly and she gurgled happily.

Isobel took care of feeding Emily, Matthew was very inexperienced in that department so he left her at it. He was very grateful to have his mother nearby to help him with his daughter. He didn't know what he would do without her.

"Anna said that she found a pram went she was rooting for the cradle yesterday," Isobel told Matthew while so was burping Emily over her shoulder. "I had it delivered here so you can take Emily for walks into the village if you wish."

Matthew looked up from his morning paper and smiled at his mother.

"That sounds like a great idea, mother," Matthew agreed. "We'll have to wrap her up warm and tightly, it's getting pretty cold out."

Isobel nodded and turned to smile at Molesey. "Could you bring down the pram please Molesey? And perhaps some warm blankets?" Molesey nodded and turned to leave the room.

Matthew turned to look out the window. "It looks nice and dry outside, bright too. Would you like to come with us?"

Isobel nodded and stood up, holding Emily against her chest. "I'll just go get this little lady ready and we can head out."

Matthew sighed contently as he pushed his daughter through the village, his mother by his side. Isobel had somehow gotten Emily to sleep before she put her in her pram. Matthew found that he enjoyed watching his daughter's sleeping face.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Isobel said, her hand wrapped around Matthew's arm. "You both should get out as much as you can before the weather gets too cold."

"Of course, we could walk up to Downton someday," Matthew smiled at his mother.

Isobel nodded slowly, wondering why Matthew seemed so pleased about going to Downton.

"Mary seemed to do a good job watching Emily yesterday," Isobel commented, looking around at the shop windows."

"I have to agree," Matthew replied "I didn't think she would be able for it. I'm glad she proved me wrong."

Isobel glanced over to see the smile spread across her son's face. She was glad of it, Matthew needed a reason to smile. Perhaps Mary and Matthew would finally put aside their differences and become friends. All she had to do was be extra busy at the hospital.

* * *

**A/N: Probably a bit short but being on holidays my brain isn't as sharp as usual. Looking forward to your reviews. **


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